Australian news, and some related international items

73 Japanese mayors protest against restart of two Oi nuclear reactors

On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators in Tokyo and other cities and towns voiced their criticism of the prime minister’s declaration that the Ohi plant is safe.

Earlier this month, about 1,300 people from Fukushima Prefecture filed a criminal complaint against Tokyo Electric Power Co. Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and 32 other… accusing them of professional negligence resulting in death and injury.

Japanese Mayors Protest Restart of Nuclear Power Plant, TOKYO, Japan, June 17, 2012 (ENS) – A group of Japanese local government elected officials is protesting the decision of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s government to restart a nuclear power plant…

… Under the banner Mayors for a Nuclear Power Free Japan, the group of 73 serving and retired mayors held a news conference Sunday to protest the plan to put the Ohi plant back online.

Secretary General of the group, Kimiko Uehara, former mayor of
Kunitachi City, part of the Tokyo Metropolis, read a statement
accusing the Noda Government of sidestepping efforts to ensure nuclear
safety. The statement criticized the decision to restart the Ohi plant
under makeshift safety standards and before setting up a new nuclear
watchdog……
Tatsuya Murakami, mayor of Tokai Village in Ibaraki Prefecture, said
the government decided on the Ohi restart despite insufficient safety
tests and with only the consent of the host communities. Mayor
Murakami said he was angry over the decision, adding that he has
renewed his resolve to have the nuclear plant in his village
scrapped…..
The mayors plan to submit their letter of protest to Prime Minister
Noda on Monday.

The mayors say, “Since March 11, earthquakes have continued to occur
very frequently, and there is reportedly the possibility for another
great earthquake to occur. Municipalities hosting nuclear power plants
and other areas surrounding them are now facing the need to take
decisions as soon as possible regarding energy policies relying upon
nuclear power.”…..
Around the prime minister’s office where the meeting was held, about
400 people held a rally, holding signs saying they oppose the restart
of the Ohi plant because the safety of nuclear plants has not been
assured……

On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators in Tokyo and other cities and towns voiced their criticism of the prime minister’s declaration that the Ohi plant is safe.

Earlier this month, about 1,300 people from Fukushima Prefecture filed a criminal complaint against Tokyo Electric Power Co. Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and 32 others, including former TEPCO president Masataka Shimizu and Nuclear Safety Commission chief Haruki Madarame,
accusing them of professional negligence resulting in death and
injury.

The complaint, filed with the Fukushima District Public Prosecutors
Office, alleges that the 33 accused were responsible for causing the
nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant and the exposure of
the plaintiffs to radiation.

It alleges the officials neglected to take disaster countermeasures,
despite the frequency of earthquakes in Japan and indications by
experts of the possibility of tsunami.

The complaint also alleges that the failure to promptly announce data
on the spread of radiation from the System for Prediction of
Environmental Emergency Dose Information “hindered evacuation of the
residents and expanded their radiation exposure.” ….http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2012/2012-06-17-02.html